Our Monday green news brings you the latest on nutrition, good causes and child education:

Photo courtesy of Guillaume Couche/PR

An edible water bottle: An edible water bottle made from seaweed has topped the UK round of an EU competition for new and more sustainable alternative to common plastic water bottles. This new spherical form of packaging, called Ooho is biodegradeable, hygenic and costs 1p per unit to make. It’s made mainly from calcium chloride and a seaweed derivative called sodium alginate. As Ooho designer Pierre Paslier, described the product: “[Ooho] is a good replacement packaging that would be really widely applicable across lots of different products. The potential for packaging reduction is really high for one of the petroleum products used across the world. It’s like a “man-made fruit”, which uses a double membrane to contain water. To carry larger quantities of water, a number of the capsules can be packed into a larger and thicker skin: much like an orange.”

The facts about Aspartame: The controversial aspartame is one of the world’s most studied food additives. Almost every scientific study found no adverse effects from its consumption, therefore it was concluded being safe for human consumption. Some of these studies even included people who actually considered themselves being sensitive to aspartame. However, it’s impossible to rule out some rare cases of real aspartame sensitivity or allergy. If you feel like you have an adverse reaction to aspartame, then simply avoid it. Aspartame is a source of phenylalanine, an essential amino acid. Phenylalanine has no harmful effects in healthy people but it should be avoided by those with a genetic disorder called phenylketonuria (PKU). Aspartame is also a minor source of aspartic acid, a naturally-occurring amino acid found in foods that contain protein. As aspartame is digested, low amounts of methanol are formed., which is not considered to be a health problem. Several studies have researched the connection between aspartame consumption and cancer. Overall, there is no conclusive evidence to suggest that aspartame increases the risk of cancer in humans. Consuming aspartame-sweetened foods and beverages is not an effective weight loss method. However, it may be useful to prevent future weight gain. Aspartame appears to have no adverse effects on behavior, mood or mental performance. One study indicates adverse effects in patients with depression, but the evidence is weak. There is no conclusive evidence that aspartame causes seizures; one study indicated an increased risk for absence seizures in children.

Chilled Fruit Salad with CoconutThis easy recipe for a chilled fruit salad with coconut chips and coconut water is a sweet, crunchy, colorful way to get your kids excited about eating a variety of fruit.